Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan]: As India continues to garner strong international support following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, pressure is mounting on the Pakistani establishment. On Saturday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his country’s willingness to participate in a “neutral, transparent, and credible” investigation, according to Dawn.
Addressing a passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, PM Shehbaz stated, “Continuing with its role as a responsible country, Pakistan is open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation.”
Claiming that Pakistan has suffered massive losses in the fight against terror, he added, “As the world’s frontline state against terrorism, we have endured immense loss — over 90,000 casualties and economic losses exceeding USD 600 billion.”
However, the credibility of Pakistan’s counterterror stance has been questioned after a viral video showed Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khwaja Asif admitting to funding and supporting terrorist organisations in the past. In an interview with Sky News anchor Yalda Hakim, Asif confessed:
“We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades… and the West, including Britain… That was a mistake, and we suffered for that.”
In the same interview, Asif issued a chilling warning of an “all-out war” with India.
In response to the April 22 terror attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, the Indian government has rolled out a series of diplomatic and strategic measures:
- Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, originally signed in 1960.
- Closure of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari.
- Suspension of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani nationals, granting them 40 hours to return.
- Reduction in diplomatic staff in both countries’ High Commissions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation, vowed harsh retaliation. “Those who committed and conspired for this act will be punished beyond imagination. The time has come to destroy every last stronghold of terrorism,” he said, asserting that the willpower of 140 crore Indians will break the spine of terror networks.